Fog hits Wellington flights
A 16-year-old Wellington softball player left stranded with strangers in Auckland after her Jetstar flight was cancelled won’t get home until tomorrow morning.
And that will be by bus. Manawatu¯ Under-18s team member Sarah Sawyer was among many passengers affected by flight cancellations in and out of Wellington yesterday as a blanket of low cloud rolled over the city.
Up to 30 domestic and international flights were cancelled by 6pm, and flights today filled up fast.
Sawyer turned up to Auckland Airport yesterday to catch a plane home after a weekend tournament but was told the 7.15pm flight was cancelled.
She was offered a Jetstar credit but told all flights to Wellington today were already full. Instead, she was offered a refund.
Sawyer said she was frustrated Jetstar didn’t try to get her on an Air New Zealand flight. ‘‘It’s pretty stressful because I’m 16 and I don’t have any family up here so I’m just by myself in a different city and the only way back with a flight will cost hundreds of dollars or two days.’’ Jetstar was approached for comment. At 3.20pm yesterday, Wellington Airport’s arrivals board had eight flights – Air NZ, Virgin, Qantas, and Sounds Air – listed as diverted. By 6.15pm, the board showed nearly every arrival between 5.30pm and midnight as cancelled.
Likewise every departure between 5.30pm and 9pm was cancelled.
MetService said visibility at the airport had been about 2000 metres but this had reduced to 600m.
The situation was likely to persist till late this morning with low cloud reaching even lower down, when it could be called fog.
Wellington Airport communications manager Melanie Nunn said up to 30 flights had been cancelled. Flights would be affected till the weather improved.
An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said several of its flights had to return to their departure point. It would operate ‘‘a number of additional regional turboprop services’’ today.
Virgin Australia flight VA101 from Brisbane and VA107 from Sydney were both diverted to Christchurch as a precaution, a company spokesperson said.
‘‘Our team of meteorologists are currently assessing the weather conditions. If conditions improve, both flights will continue on to Wellington.’’
Yesterday, seven Jetstar flights between Auckland and Wellington were cancelled due to the thick fog.
A Jetstar spokesperson said the weather had been impacting its flights in and out of the capital. ‘‘Customers have been given the option to fly on the next available service at no additional cost, or a voucher to the full amount of their booking.’’
A Qantas spokeswoman confirmed two of its flights had been diverted. Passengers had been given accommodation and would be put on the next available flight.